Folder



Jan. 14, 1930. R. H. CHARLTON 1,743,191

FOLDER Filed DeG. 2, 1926 Patented Jan. 14, 1930 UNITED STATES 'ROY E. CHARLTON, 0F BELMONT, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 FILING EQUIPMENT BUREAU, INCORPORATED, OF BOSTONQMASSAGHUSETTS, A. CORPORATION F MAS- sAcHUsET'rs FOLDER.

i Application led December g,\1v926. Serial No. 152,183.

This invention relates to folders or file wrappers for holding papers or otherindexed A material in a so-called vertical filing system in which a plurality of folders are grouped in -a tray or drawer of a filing cabinet. The lpresent application is a continuation in part -of my pending application fo-r file wrappers,

Serial No. 120,954, filed July 7 1926.

A principal featureof the invention is the provision of novel means for reinforcing the upper edge of one leaf of the folder to provide a relatively stijf and stout margin which is adapted to resist the bending stresses and wear to which the folder is subjected by normal handling during use, and to provide a stout and permanent margin or tab for receiving identifying indicia relating to the particular subject matter of the indexed material within the folder. j

For this purpose I provide a folder which may be of relatively thin and lightweight material and a separate reinforcing strip, preferably of the same material as the folder,

which embraces and is adhesively secured to both faces of the rear leaf of the folder over its upper edge. A folder so constructed, having a stiifened upper edge providing a threeply composite structure, substantially three times the thickness of the sheet material of which it is composed, is extremely durable and wear-resisting in use, yet is inexpensive to manufacture and does not appreciably increase the bulk thickness of the filing system.

,An additional advantage of the reinforcing strip hereinafter described resides in the form of the reinforcement and the manner in which it is applied to the folder. In order to prevent the formation of a too pronounced line of weakness at the lower edge of the reinforcing strip, where the folder leaf would tend to break or crack, and to distribute the strain caused by tipping or bending the reinforced edge, one flap of the reinforcement extends a little farther down on the folder than the opposed iap. The tendency of the folder to bend or break along a defined line when the tab is pulled forwardly or backwardly is thus diminished. The wider or deeper flap of the reinforcement is preferably on the rear side .p of the folder leaf.

combinations may be employed as-signals to classify the subject matter within the folders. Although the identifying colors may for some purposes be employed solely upon the edge reinforcement, it has been found that relatively few individual colors may be readily applied to the manila paper of which the folders are usually and preferably constructed. For this reason it is recommended that boththe folder and the reinforcement be distinguished by colors of contrasting hue, if greater diversification of'possible color signa s be desired than can be obtained by available colors for the reinforcement alone.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown for the purpose of illustration in the Aaccompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a face view of a folder having the improved features set forth above, one corner of the front' leaf of the folder being turned outwardly; and

Figs. 2 and '3 are enlarged sections through the rear leaf of the folder on the lines 2-2 and 3 3, respectively, of Fig. 1.

AThe folder may ble made of any suitable flexible sheet material having the necessary stiffness, such for example as stout manila paper, and consists of a front leaf 4 and rear leaf 5 folded thereon along the bottom edge 6. The upper edge 7 of the front leaf preferably terminates a short distance below the normal upper edge 8 of leaf 5, but these edges may register or may be spaced apart more or less, as desired. An integral tab 9, having an upper edge 10 parallel to edge 8, preferably projects above the normal upper edge of the rear leaf.

A reinforcement is adhesively secured to both faces of the tab 9 and upper margin of the rear leaf 5 along the entire width of the folder, providing a -stiifened edge having approximately three times the thickness of the leaf. The reinforcement may be of the same material as the folder and preferably consists of a single strip folded at 11 over the tab edge 10 and having a front Hap 12 and rear flap 13 which may be pasted or glued to the res ec? color combinations which may tive faces of the tab and leaf margin. or the reasons heretofore explained, the rear ap preferably 'extends downwardly on leaf 5 a short distance farther than the front flag so that the respective lower Hap `:dges 14 an 15 do not register with each other but are located at ,different levels on leaf 5. Y

The reinforcing strip may be prepared and applied to the folder in any convenient way; for example, a strip may be folded over a straight edge of the rear leaf, such as the edge 10 in extension, and attached to the leaf on both sides,.and the multi-ply margin may then be cutaway to form a tab of the size and shape desired. For some purposes, however, the projecting tab is not essential or desirable, and it may also be preferred to form the remforcement of two separate strips dispensing with the fold line at 11.

In Fig. 1 the reinforcement is lined to trate the color ink or red to -,contrast with the buff color ci) the untintedmanila folder as an illustration of one of the many posslble be used as a signal to indicate the subject matterof the file contents. The uses of such color s1 als will depend largel on thenature of the uslness in which theelders are utilized and the desired diversity of classification of the subject matter.V For instance' the color of the folder may indicate a particularclassication of subject matter and the color` of the reinforcement may relate to a subdivision of that class; or the combinations of colors may be used for other purposes. Names,'numerals, or other specic indicia of subject matter may be inscribed upon the tab or mar in or affixed thereto by means of a separate s ip.' f

The margin of a folder which is reinforced' in the manner herein described vissuiiiciently stiff and durable to resist the bending stresses to which itis subject bynormal handlin durin use without cracking at the -low- -er e ge of t e reinforcement, and provides a stout edge or tab which preserves whatever index data may be applied thereto.4v The adj hesively secured reinforcement not only furnishes a triple thickness at the region of handling, but also provides the`additiona1 stiffness and strength which is Arovided by the application of the adhesive etween the folder leaf and the respective side'iiapso-f the reinforcement. Y 1

When the reinforcin strip is folded over the top edge of the lea `or tab a sharp laminated edge, which is irritatingto the touch and which tends to split or crackin use, is obviated. The necessity for sharply scoring' and so weakening the fold line 11 lis 'also eliminated, for the folded portion of the re inforcement embraces the upper edge 10 of the body of the tab, which provides a base sufficiently thick to prevent cracking at the fold. Such construction furthermore el mussures permanent adherenceof the strip to the tab at the region adjacent edge 10, as well as elsewhere, and avolds the tendency of the vfold to resist the adhesive at this point. Such weakness would exist if, for example, the re` inforcement consisted merely in folding over and asting down an inte al iap portlon' of the, older leaf. The fo d line would then tend to crack if not scored, and the springiness of the fold would resist permanent adherence at theregion of the fold, with a tendency of the fla to se aratefrom the body niteto the upper edge ofthe rear leaf, so

at the top edge of the front leaf will not;- g5 tend to catch beneath the edge 15 v,and 'yet Athe rear leaf 5 will project a little beyond the :fgrvit 1eaf4 to facilitate the opening of the o er.

-Iclaimz ,1.- A folder comprising a folded sheet havey ingfront and rear leaves, and a reinforce-v ment adhesively'a plied upon both sides of theexposed edge o one of said leaves, whereby the sa1d exposed edge isa three-ply com# posite structure, the reinforcement on onel side of said sheet extending downwardly below the bottom ed e of the reinforcement on the other side of t sheet.

'2. A folder comprising a folded sheet hav.v

ing front and rear leaves, and a reinforcement adhesively applied upon both sides of the exposed edge of one of said leaves, the thickness of each side portion ofI they reinforcement vbein approximately the same as the thlckn'esg Ao the sheet whereby the lsaid exposed edge has a thickness substantially three times as greatA as the sheet, the rein'-V forcement extending outwardly to the lateral margins of the sheet on each side .thereof andi.l the reinforcement on `one side of vsaid sheet downwardly below the bottom me reinforcement on `the other side sheet material having approximately the same thickness as the 'sheet folded over the outer edge of said tab and having side flaps extending downwardly over said sheet margin and outwardly to the lateral margins of the sheet, said strip being adhesively secured to said tab and sheet upon the oppositefaces thereof and the flap Aon one side of the sheet extending downwardly below the bottom edge of the flap on the other side of the sheet. 4. A folder comprising a folded sheet having front and rear leaves, and a reinforcement applied upon the exposed-edge of one of said leaves, said reinforcement having a color contrasting with the color of the folder sheet. 5. A f older comprising a folded sheet having front and rear leaves, and Aa reinforcement .applied on both sides of the exposed edge of one of said leaves, said reinforcement having' a color contrasting with the color of the folder sheet, whereby said contrasting colors are visible from both sides: of the folder.

6. A folder comprising afolded sheet having front and rear leaves and having an integral projecting tab at the exposed margin of one of said leaves,y and a separate reinforcing strip of the'slam material as said folded sheet folded over the outer edge of said tab and extending downwardly over the adjacent margin of said leaf and outwardly to `the edges of the leaf, said strip being adhesively secured to said tabrand leaf margin upon the opposite faces thereof, to provide a triple-ply,

j composite, reinforcedmargin having a thickness substantially three times as great as that of the body of the leaf..

7. A folder comprising a folded sheetof heavy paper having front and rear leaves f and having an integral projecting tab at the exposed margin of one of said leaves, and a a relnforcement consisting of a folded strip of the same material 4as said sheet applied upon said tab and along s'aid margin from one side of the leaf to the opposite side, to provide a triple-ply margin having a thickness substantially three times as great as that of the body of the leaf, said three plies being adhesively united to each other and the outer ed e of the tab portion constituting a rounded fo d in which the free edge of one of the plies is embraced within the folded material,

thereby reducing the tendency of the folded pa er to crack or separate during handling. gigned by me at Boston, Massachusetts, this 30th day of November, 1926.

ROY H. CHARLTON. 

